Becky rang while I was at work today to let me know that one of the largest bushfires currently raging around Sydney’s perimeter had been centred on Glenorie. It happens that my uncle and aunt live at Glenorie, so this was a bit of a worry to hear.

I emailed one of our regular Sydney work contacts who sent me a rather scary link showing an aerial photo of the extent of the Glenorie fire (I’d link to it here but it’s been removed – presumably as it’s now out of date – from the NSW Rural Fire Service site) which made me worry some more. Once home, I got hold of Dad, who had heard from our Aussie family. Turns out that the fire-front has already been past my uncle and aunt’s house, with some houses not far away being lost to it. Currently the entire family, including sons- and daughters-in-law, are there looking for hotspots, floating embers and generally keeping an eye on things. In particular, if the wind changes the fire could turn back towards the house again, so everyone is ready for the worst.

Hope they remain OK. I can’t imagine what they are going though right now, but I just hope they and their home remain safe.